Covert sports communication system

ABSTRACT

A covert sports communication system has a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit coded audio track selection signals. The system includes a receiver that may be worn within headgear. The receiver includes stored audio tracks and is configured to receive coded audio track selection signals from the transmitter, decode the audio track selection signals, and play at least one stored audio track in accordance with the decoded audio track selection signals. The audio tracks may include audio instructions to a participant of a sporting event.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 63/207,437, filed Feb. 26, 2021, and entitled “Baseball PitchSelection Communication System,” and U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 63/259,031, filed Jun. 15, 2021, and entitled “Covert SportsCommunication System,” the disclosures of which are hereby incorporatedby reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to a communication system forcommunicating with an athletic participant in a secure and covertmanner.

BACKGROUND

In many sports, communication between players, or between coaches andplayers, is both allowed and desirable. For example, in the game ofbaseball, pitchers will throw a variety of pitches including fastballs,curveballs, sliders, and changeups. Fastballs are thrown relativelystraight, and as the name implies, are thrown at the highest velocityamong the pitcher's repertoire of pitches. A curveball is generallythrown at a lower velocity with a high rate of sidespin, so that theball approaches the batter with a more curving trajectory. A slider isbetween a fastball and a curve, as it is a faster pitch than acurveball, but less than that of a fastball, with a sharper breaktowards the end of the pitch. A changeup is the slowest of pitches.There are yet other types of pitches, such as but not limited to aknuckleball, a forkball, and a splitter. Pitchers may not be able tothrow all these different types of pitches but may be able to throw somesubset of these pitches.

While it is very difficult to hit a baseball thrown by a major leaguepitcher in any event, it is much easier for a major league batter to hita pitch if they know what type of pitch is coming, i.e., whether thepitch will be a fastball, curveball, slider, or other type of pitch. Thebatter can time the pitch more effectively, as well as anticipate thetrajectory of the pitch and alter his swing to match the incoming pitch.On the other hand, it is important for the catcher to know what pitch iscoming, because it is very difficult to catch a major league pitch thatis a different type than the one expected. In other words, if a catcheris expecting a curveball, and the pitcher unexpectedly throws afastball, the speed of the fastball can surprise the catcher and causehim to miss the ball or even get injured.

Accordingly, since the early days of baseball, catchers havecommunicated with pitchers to select which pitch to throw. The catcherhas usually signaled using the fingers of their throwing hand toindicate the pitch selection. Their fingers are normally held pointingdownwardly between their legs when the catcher is in his crouch. Thisshields the opposing team from seeing the pitch signal. A pitchselection signal may be one finger for a fastball, two for a curve, etc.The pitcher is able to see the catcher's fingers and know which pitch tothrow. Unfortunately, an opposing player standing on second base is ableto see the signals as well. If the runner is able to decode the signal,he can send a visual signal to the batter to indicate what type of pitchis coming. To combat this from happening, a catcher will run through aseries of pitch signals with his fingers in a code.

Although catchers use codes to try to prevent anyone from stealing thesignals, the visual nature of the signals allows anyone able to see thesignals to decode the finger signals. It is a time-honored tradition forplayers on second base to try to decode the signals, but in recentyears, more advanced means have been rumored to have been employed toascertain the pitch selection. There has been suspected sign stealingusing video to provide a team employee the ability to view the catcher'sfinger signals and provide an audible or other signal to the batter toindicate the suspected pitch selection, such as by a whistle to indicatea fastball instead of a curve, for instance. As baseball is atradition-minded sport, the use of video and cameras and communicationwith the dugout to indicate the other team's pitch selection isconsidered a form of cheating. Furthermore, as baseball games becomelonger and longer (the average game length has significantly increasedover the years, threatening fan interest), the running through ofmultiple signals for each pitch in an effort to prevent or hinderdecoding of the pitch selection adds quite a bit of time to each game,in the tens of minutes.

Covert communications are not limited to baseball. For example, footballhas tried all sorts of different ways for players, especiallyquarterbacks, to receive plays from the coaches on the sidelines.Players were shuttled in and out, carrying the play calls from the coachto the quarterback, who would then announce the play call in the teamhuddle. Teams then started using hand signals to tell the quarterbackwhat play to call. Finally, the National Football League allowed limitedradio headset communication between the coach and the quarterback tocall the plays. This system has used a traditional audio voicetransmission to the quarterback to an audio voice receiver in thequarterback's helmet. Coaches wearing microphones on the sidelines willusually cover their mouths with clipboards to prevent lip reading.Quarterbacks have complained about the weight of the batteries needed topower their receivers. Also, none of the other players know what theplay call is until the quarterback tells them the play.

Still other sports have communications between coach and athlete, suchas swimming. Voice radio communication devices have been devised for acoach to provide swimming directives to swimmers. Such devices arerelatively bulky, and also rely on voice communication.

Other sports, such as horse racing and hockey, have eschewed the use ofaudio communications to the participants. It may be useful, for example,to inform a jockey of his horse's position in the race, and other horsescoming up from behind. Of course, such use of communications would needto be legalized by the authorities overseeing such sports.

SUMMARY

There is a need for a secure communication system that allowsinstructions to be selected and communicated to an athlete while keepingcompeting athletes from hearing those instruction.

This and other needs are met by a covert sports communication systemthat has a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit coded audiotrack selection signals. The system includes a receiver worn withinheadgear having stored audio tracks. The receiver is configured toreceive the coded audio track selection signals, decode the audio trackselection signals and play at least one stored audio track in accordancewith the decoded audio track selection signals, the audio trackscontaining audio instructions to a sporting participant.

These needs are also met by a system for remotely communicating audioinstructions, comprising a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitterincludes a transmitter unit that transmits wireless signals and amicrocontroller coupled to the transmitter unit. The transmittermicrocontroller is configured to provide the transmitter unit with aselection signal to wirelessly transmit. The receiver includes: areceiving unit configured to wirelessly receive the selection signal; amemory configured to contain a plurality of stored audio instructions;an audio reproduction transducer configured to audibly reproduce thestored audio instructions; and a microcontroller coupled to thereceiving unit, the memory and the audio reproduction transducer. Themicrocontroller is configured to control the memory and the audioreproduction transducer to reproduce a selected audio instruction inaccordance with the received selection signal.

The earlier stated needs are also met by a baseball pitch selectioncommunication system, comprising a pitch selection transmitter and awireless receiver. The pitch selection transmitter includes buttons forselecting pitch types to be heard at a remote receiver, amicrocontroller coupled to the buttons to receive a pitch type selectionsignal from the buttons and generate a coded signal in accordance withthe pitch type selection signal, and a transmitter unit coupled to themicrocontroller to receive the coded signal and transmit a codedwireless signal. The wireless receiver includes a receiving unitconfigured to receive the coded wireless signal, a microcontrollercoupled to the receiving unit to decode the coded wireless signal anddetermine an audio track containing audio of the pitch type inaccordance with the pitch type selection signal, a memory coupled to thereceiver microcontroller and containing addressable storage locations inwhich audio tracks are stored, and a speaker coupled to the receivermicrocontroller. The receiver microcontroller retrieves the audio trackat the addressable storage location in memory at which the audio trackcontaining the audio of the pitch type in accordance with the pitch typeselection signal is stored and plays the audio track through thespeaker.

It is understood that other configurations of the subject technologywill become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from thefollowing detailed description, wherein various configurations of thesubject technology are shown and described by way of illustration. Aswill be realized, the subject technology is capable of other anddifferent configurations and its several details are capable ofmodification in various other respects, all without departing from thescope of the subject technology. Accordingly, the drawings and detaileddescription are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not asrestrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawing figures depict one or more implementations in accord withthe present teachings, by way of example only, not by way of limitation.In the figures, like reference numerals refer to the same or similarelements. Furthermore, it should be understood that the drawings are notnecessarily to scale.

FIG. 1 is a rough depiction of a portion of a catcher providing a pitchsignal using a finger, in accordance with prior methodologies.

FIG. 2 is a view of a transmitter of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a receiver constructed in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show the receiver of FIG. 3 installed in a baseball hat,in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a transmitter constructed in accordancewith embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a receiver constructed in accordance withembodiments of the. present disclosure.

FIG. 7A is a schematic depiction of audio files stored in memorylocations in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7B is a schematic depiction of audio files stored in folders inmemory locations in a single receiver in accordance with embodiments ofthe present invention.

FIGS. 8A and 8B depict another embodiment of the receiver in isolatedperspective view and in phantom side view installed in a hat,respectively.

FIG. 9A is a side view of a receiver constructed in accordance withother embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9B is a block diagram of a receiver constructed in accordance withembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective front view of a transmitter constructed inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a schematic depiction of a strike zone.

FIG. 12 is a perspective front view of a central transmitter constructedin accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a schematic depiction of the system of the present disclosureshowing a star network configuration of the system.

FIG. 14 is a perspective side view of a receiver constructed inaccordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a perspective side view of the receiver of FIG. 14 mounted onthe side of a baseball cap.

FIG. 16 is a side view of a football helmet depicting the receiver ofFIG. 9A in phantom mounted within the football helmet.

FIG. 17 is a side view of a jockey helmet depicting the receiver of FIG.9A in phantom mounted within the jockey helmet.

FIG. 18 is a side view of a swimmer's head wearing a swimming cap withthe receiver of FIG. 9A underneath the cap.

FIG. 19A is a side view of another embodiment of a receiver constructedin accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 19B is a side view of a player's head wearing a baseball cap withthe receiver of FIG. 19A installed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description ofvarious configurations of the subject technology and is not intended torepresent the only configurations in which the subject technology may bepracticed. The appended drawings are incorporated herein and constitutea part of the detailed description. The detailed description includesspecific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understandingof the subject technology. However, it will be clear and apparent tothose skilled in the art that the subject technology is not limited tothe specific details set forth herein and may be practiced using one ormore embodiments. In one or more instances, well-known structures andcomponents are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuringthe concepts of the subject technology.

Techniques for providing a secure communication system that allowsinstructions to be selected and communicated are provided. Thesetechniques may be used to communicate with an athlete during a sportingevent while preventing competing athletes from overhearing theseinstructions. These techniques may be used in various sporting events tosend instructions to an athlete during the sporting event from a coach,manager, or even another player who may wish to convey instructions toanother player without inadvertently divulging these instructions toopposing players. The secure communication system may include atransmitter having various form factors. The transmitter may be worn bya player, coach, manager, or other user that may provide instructions toanother player or players wearing a corresponding receiver configured toreceive the instructions from the transmitter. The transmitter may alsohave a handheld form factor that may be larger than the form factor ofthe transmitter that may be worn. This larger form factor may enable thetransmitter to include additional controls and user interface elements,such as but not limited to a display, which may be unavailable for someimplementations of the transmitters that may be worn. The transmittermay provide various means for a user to send instructions to a player orplayers wearing a corresponding transceiver. Some implementations of thetransmitter may include a set of buttons that are mapped to apredetermined set of instructions. For example, the transmitter used inbaseball may include a set of buttons mapped to a set of pitches, and abutton may be pressed on the transmitter to send a corresponding commandto a receiver worn by the pitcher. The mapping of the buttons tospecific commands may be configurable and the transmitter may beconfigured to multiple configurations suitable for use by multipledifferent players. The transmitter furthermore is configured to encodethe signals sent to the transmitter to prevent the signals from beingintercepted and understood by a competitor. The receiver may also beconfigured to utilize conductive sound to advantageously reduce thelikelihood that competitors may overhear the instructions received fromthe transmitter. These and other technical benefits of the techniquesdisclosed herein will be evident from the discussion of the exampleimplementations that follow.

FIG. 1 illustrates a pitcher's view of bottom half of a baseball catcher10 while the catcher 10 is providing a pitch selection signal inaccordance with the prior art. As can be recognized, the catcher 10 isin a squatting or crouched position, the front of the catcher 10 facingthe pitcher. The catcher 10 will extend one or more fingers 12 (in thiscase, one finger) to indicate the pitch type that the catcher desiresthe pitcher to throw. For example, one finger may mean the pitch type isa fastball. The problem with this method, however, is that not only willa runner on second base be able to view this signal, but so can anyonewith binoculars, a camera, etc., having a similar view of the catcher 10as the pitcher. Anyone watching on television, or thousands of fans inthe stadium, for example, will have such a view, and can steal the pitchtype signals.

A transmitter 20 constructed in accordance with embodiments of thepresent disclosure is depicted in FIG. 2 . In the example implementationshown in FIG. 2 , the transmitter 20 is shown attached to the forearm ofthe glove arm of the catcher 10. However, the transmitter 20 may beprovided anywhere on the body of the catcher 10, or on the catcher'sequipment, such as his glove. As will be discussed later, transmitters20 are not limited to provision to catchers 10, but can be provided tomanagers, pitching coaches, or others. The transmitter 20 illustrated inFIG. 2 includes a number of buttons 22 that are actuatable by thecatcher 10 to select and transmit a pitch type. The buttons 22 may beindividually labeled with the pitch type, such as fastball, curve, etc.In FIG. 2 , the buttons 22 are simply labeled A, B, C and D so that thebuttons may be easily reassigned to different pitches without confusingthe catcher. Although four buttons are illustrated in this exampleimplementation, fewer or greater numbers of buttons 22 can be providedon the transmitter 20. In certain embodiments, such as a transmitterused by a coach, the transmitter 20 may include a display (not shown).Information, such as the selected pitcher, settings, and the pitchcalled, can be displayed on the display of the transmitter 20.

The throwing hand 24 of the catcher 10 may depress one of the buttons 22on the transmitter 20 while the forearm of the gloved hand of thecatcher 10 is facing the catcher's chest. This would prevent anyone butthe catcher 10 from seeing which button 22 was depressed, and hence,which pitch type was selected. As will be explained in greater detaillater, the depressing of a particular button 22 will cause a codedsignal indicating a pitch type selection to be transmitted. Furthermore,in some implementations, the transmitter 20 may be configured such thata combination of buttons 22 may be depressed to cause the transmitter 20to send the coded signal indicating a pitch type to be transmitted.

An embodiment of a receiver 30 is depicted in FIG. 3 . The receiver 30may be configured to receive the coded signals transmitted by thetransmitter 20 and to provide a signal perceptible to a user, such as apitcher, which indicates a type of pitch that was selected by a user ofthe transmitter 20. As indicated in the preceding examples, this usermay be the catcher, coach, or another person who may select a pitch typeto be thrown by the pitcher. The receiver 30, according to certainembodiments, has a bone conductor 32 configured to transduce signals toproduce a perceptible audible signal to a person. Other embodiments mayinclude other means for providing audible, haptic, and/or other feedbackto the pitcher or other user of the receiver 30. More details on thereceiver will be provided later.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show an example implementation in which the receiver 30of FIG. 3 is installed in a baseball hat 35 in an exemplary position.The receiver 30 may be configured to produce an audible signalperceptible to the wearer of the baseball hat 35 in response toreceiving a coded signal transmitted by the transmitter 20. The positionof the receiver 30 may be within a sweatband 37 that commonly runsaround the bottom of a baseball cap. The receiver 30 may be sized to fitsubstantially within the sweatband 37 and may be held in place by clips(not shown) or other type of fastener. The receiver 30 may beadvantageously positioned on the side of the head, the back of the head,or the top of the head. Positioning may depend on safety considerationsand/or audio reproduction considerations. The receiver 30 may include abone conductor 32 configured to transduce signals to produce aperceptible audible signal to the wearer of the baseball hat 35. Atechnical benefit of using bone conduction technology to reproduce audiocontent is that typically only the wearer of the bone conductor receiverwill be able to hear the audio produced (or transduced) by the boneconductor, even if the volume is turned up very high. Hence, there islittle to no likelihood that another player, other than the playerwearing the receiver 30, will be able to hear the information providedfrom the audio file and receiver 30.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a transmitter20 constructed in accordance with the present disclosure. Thetransmitter 20 includes a rechargeable battery 26 that acts as the powersource for the components of the transmitter 20. The battery 26 may berecharged through a port 28, such as but not limited to amicro-Universal Serial Bus (USB) port. The battery 26 may also berecharged using wireless charging. The battery 26 may be anon-rechargeable, replaceable battery in other implementations. Thetransmitter 20 may be turned on via an externally actuatable powerswitch 21. The switch 21 may be a slide switch, a push button switch, orother type of switch. However, in certain embodiments, the transmitterdoes not have a power switch and is always ready to transmit as long asthe battery 26 is charged. A conventional microcontroller 23 may becoupled to the battery 26, a wireless transmitter unit 25 and a memory27, as well as the input buttons 22. The wireless transmitter unit 25can have an internal antenna (not shown) or be connected to an externalantenna (not shown) extending from the transmitter 20. Themicrocontroller 23 may also connected to the port 28 to allowprogramming and external communication. In operation, once thetransmitter 20 is powered on via power switch 21, a user depresses oneof the buttons 22. The user may be a catcher 10, manager, pitchingcoach, or other user who may provide pitch selection signals.

The microcontroller 23 determines when one of the buttons of the inputbuttons 22 has been depressed, which corresponds to a pitch typeselection. The microcontroller 23 may either use its own internalmemory, or the external memory 27 to function as a signal generator togenerate a coded signal, which can simply be the code for a “1”, “2”,“3”, etc. Other encoded signals may be stored in the memory. The encodedsignal does not require a long string or sequence of characters encodingan audio file. Instead, the encoded signal may include a set of valuesthat reference a corresponding audio file. For example, the transmittermay map buttons or a sequence or combination of buttons to valuesrepresenting corresponding audio files stored in the memory of thereceiver 30.

The transmitter 20 may also be optionally coupled to a decision unit 29in some implementations. The decision unit 29 may be configured tooutput a decision signal to the microcontroller 23 that may bypass thefunctionality of the buttons 22. The type of decision signal receivedmay depend upon the type of decision unit 29 being utilized. Themicrocontroller 23 of the transmitter 20 may be configured to receivethe decision signal from the decision unit 29 and to generate andtransmit a coded signal to the receiver 30. In an exampleimplementation, the decision unit 29 is an electronic line callingdevice that may include one or more cameras and/or other sensing meansto detect that a ball is either in or out of bounds. The transmitter 20may be coupled to the electronic line calling device and may receive adecision signal from the line calling device indicating whether a ballwas in or out of bounds. The transmitter 20 may generate an encodedsignal corresponding to that decision signal and transmit the encodedsignal to the receiver 30 using the transmitter unit 25. In thisexample, the receiver 30 may be worn by a line judge. The receiver 30may decode the received encoded signal, selected the appropriate audiofile from memory, and output the audio file to the line judge usingconductive means or other means. Example embodiments of the receiver aredetailed in the following paragraphs.

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a receiver 30constructed in accordance with the present disclosure. The receiver 30includes a rechargeable battery 31, although other types of batteriescan be used. The battery 31 may be recharged through a port 28, as suchas a micro-USB port 28. The port 28 may also be used as a conduit toprogram the microcontroller 38 and to store audio files within thememory 42. A display 48, such as but not limited to a light emittingdiode (LED) display, may be provided in certain embodiments. The displayenables a visual interaction with a user, such as when programming thereceiver 30, or selecting a subset of audio files to use. For example,audio files 80 a-80 d shown in FIG. 7A may be used by a first pitcherSmith, while audio files 80 e-80 h may be used by a second pitcherJones. These different subsets can be selected through control buttons46.

A conventional wireless signal receiving unit 40 is provided andcontrolled by the microcontroller 38. The receiving unit 40 may receivethe coded signals from the transmitter 20, which may include anindication of a pitch type selected. The receiving unit 40 may includean antenna 41, which may take different forms. For example, the antenna41 can be a conventional chip antenna, as is commonly used in otherapplications. In other embodiments, the antenna 41 may be a longerantenna and extend along the body of the receiver 30. In operation, themicrocontroller 38 may be configured to decode a received coded signalfrom the receiving unit 40 and send a signal through an audio amplifier45 to cause the bone conductor 32 or other sound reproducer (or “audioreproduction transducer”) to play the particular audio file thatcorresponds to the pitch type selected, as discussed below.

In the exemplary embodiments, the receiver 30 may have a plurality ofaudio files 80 a-80 v that are stored in memory 42. These audio filesare played by the receiver in accordance with the received coded signal.A schematic depiction of an audio file listing stored in the receivermemory 52 is depicted in FIG. 7A. In operation, the receiver 30 receivesa coded pitch selection signal, such as a “1”, reflecting the “1” buttonof the buttons 22 being depressed by the user of the transmitter 20. Inthis particular example implementation, this particular signal canindicate that the pitch type selected is a “fastball”. When the receiver30 receives the coded signal, the microcontroller 38 of the receiver 30decodes the signal and determines that the signal is a “1” signal andwill reproduce the audio file from file location “1”. In this example,the audio file 80 a at the “1” location corresponds to “fastball”, sothe word “fastball” is audibly reproduced by the receiver 30 through thebone conductor 32. In other implementations, the buttons 22 of thetransmitter 20 may be mapped to different set of pitch types, and thecorresponding audio files associated with these pitch types may bestored in the memory 42 of the receiver 30.

The use of coded signals that are decoded and reproduced according tostored audio files has a number of significant advantages over othercommunication systems that are employed in sports. For example, a radioreceiver, such as used in football helmets to call in plays, employssomeone speaking into a microphone for transmission of the voicedirectly to the quarterback. This is impractical in baseball, as thecatcher cannot speak the name of the pitch without revealing the pitchto the batter. Rather, in accordance with the present disclosure, thesimple pressing of a single button will convey the pitch selection tothe pitcher. Furthermore, security is assured more easily through thecoding of the pitch selection than can be achieved through wirelessvoice communications.

Security of communication is a major concern for sports teams. Incertain embodiments, a radio communication protocol is employed thatprovides secure messaging between all parts of the system, is protectedfrom radio noise and interference with other team's equipment ortampering. Each team will use its own unique key shared across the wholeteam system for encryption and identification purposes. The transmitter20 and the receiver 30 communicate through a radio communicationprotocol that may include, but is not limited to, one of the followingtechnologies: addressed and broadcast messaging; delivery confirmation;data integrity check; data encryption using one of the standardalgorithms (RC4, AES, etc.) or its modification; a hopping code; HoppingFrequency Spread Spectrum (HFSS); radio channel occupancy monitoring;backup communication channel or other such technologies well-known tothose of skill in the art.

Storage of the audio files in the receivers 30 allows for a number ofadvantages of the present communication system. As is well-known,baseball is an international sport such that players in the majorleagues come from many different countries and speak many differentlanguages. Translators have been used at the pitching mound forconferences. However, employing audio files as in the present invention,permits the audio files to be in a number of different languages. Eachreceiver 30 may include audio files in a language appropriate for theuser. In one example, a Japanese-speaking pitcher may have a receiverthat includes Japanese language audio files. The catcher in this examplespeaks Spanish and does not speak Japanese. However, theSpanish-speaking catcher may press the “1” button on his transmitter 20to send a “fastball” pitching instruction to the pitcher, and thereceiver 30 of the pitcher provides the pitching instruction forfastball in Japanese to the pitcher in this example. A team may includemultiple players that speak different languages, and each receiver 30may be configured to include audio files associated with the preferredlanguage of the user of that receiver 30.

Wearing a receiver 30 is not limited to pitchers. It is desirable forthe catcher 10 to have a receiver 30 installed in his helmet so that hewill confirm the pitch type that he transmitted to the pitcher.Otherwise, he may have accidentally pressed “1” for fastball, thinkingthat he pressed “2” for curveball, and without the audible feedbackprovided by an installed receiver, will be unprepared for a fastball andmay miss the pitch or be injured. Further, other defenders in the fieldmay have receivers 30 installed in their hats. Traditionally, by knowingwhich pitch is about to be thrown, fielders will shift their positionsslightly to better anticipate where the batter is likely to hit theball.

Analogously, transmitters 20 are not limited to catchers 10. They canalso be used by people in the dugout, such as the manager or pitchingcoach to call the pitches. This may be especially helpful when aninexperienced catcher 10 is playing, or an unfamiliar batter is at theplate and the manager wants specific pitches to be called. The buttonsthe manager or pitching coach presses can play the same or differentaudio files than the ones the catcher 10 uses. For example, the catchermay press one of four buttons, corresponding to four different pitchaudio files 80 in the receiver 30. The manager or pitching coach mayhave four or more additional buttons to use, that will correspond toadditional audio files (e.g., audio files 5-9) in the pitcher's receiver30. In addition to the names of pitches, the audio files 80 could alsobe used to produce audible instructions or reminders to the pitcher,such as “keep your front shoulder in as you deliver the pitch.” If majorleague rules were to prevent such use of the system, the system may beeasily locked to prevent this usage, and the receivers 30 may just havepitching instructions stored and reproducible in the receivers 30.Additionally, one or more buttons 22 may be associated with other typesof instructions. For example, one or more buttons 22 may be associatedwith instructions used to tell the pitcher to throw a pitchout or tothrow over to first base instead of throwing a pitch.

The receiver 30 has a number of audio files 80 a-80 v at addressablestorage locations, as depicted schematically in FIG. 7A. Each audio file80 can be recorded in a language that is specific to the personlistening to the audio file 80. For example, if the pitcher is Korean,the receiver 30 for that pitcher will contain audio files recorded inKorean. If Japanese, they will be recorded in Japanese, and so on. It isalso, possible, of course, to provide audio files 80 in which some ofthe audio files are in one language, and others are in a differentlanguage. When multiple receivers 30 are employed but with differentstored languages, it is important that the audio files 80 a-80 v in afirst language in a first one of the receivers 30 are stored at the sameaddressable storage locations as the audio files 80 a-80 v in a secondlanguage in a second one of the receivers 30, where the audio files 80a-80 v correspond to each other. For example, “curveball” recorded inEnglish and stored as audio file 80 a in a first one of the receivers30, will correspond to “curva” recorded in Spanish and stored as audiofile 80 a in a second one of the receivers 30. This correspondenceallows the transmitter to broadcast the same coded signal to all of thereceivers 30, which will then play the same instruction (pitch type, forexample) at each of the receivers 30 in whatever language theinstructions are recorded and stored in that receiver 30. There is nolimitation on the number of receivers 30 that are able to receive thecoded signal, with each of these receivers 30 being able to have itsinstructions recorded in a different language from the rest of thereceivers 30.

FIG. 7B depicts the memory 42 in accordance with other embodiments ofthe present invention. The memory 42 includes a plurality of folders 43.Each folder 43 contains the audio files 80 a-v but in differentlanguages respectively. Folder 43 a may contain English language audiofiles 80 a-v, folder 43 b may contain Spanish language audio files 80a-v, folder 43 c may contain Japanese audio files 80 a-v, and so on.Corresponding audio files 80 a-v have the same meaning across thefolders 43, such that audio file 80 a of folder 43 a contains the word“curveball”, the audio file 80 a of folder 43 b contains the word“curva”, and so on for each of the different languages stored as audiofiles in the memory 42. Through a special button pressing sequence (suchas through buttons 102 and 104 in the embodiment of FIGS. 9A and 9B, orother means), the receiver 30 (or 100 in FIGS. 9A and 9B) may beconfigured to output audio in a selected language. After the language isselected at the receiver 30 or receiver 100 to configure the receiver,the receiver 30 or receiver 100 will refer to the proper folder uponreceipt of a coded signal. For example, if the receiver 30 or 100 hasbeen configured to output Spanish audio, after decoding the signal fromthe transmitter 20, the receiver 30 or receiver 100 will refer to folder43 b and output the audio for the word “curva” when the coded signal isfor audio file 80 a. The output language can be simply changed by theuser by changing the folder 43 to re-configure the receiver 30 orreceiver 100. In these embodiments, each receiver 30 or receiver 100 canbe set to different languages by the wearer without having to re-connectthe receiver 30 or receiver 100 to a computer to change the audio files80 a-v stored in the memory 42 in order to change the language.

The set of audio files 80 a-80 v can also be recorded to correspond tothe different pitch repertoires that individual pitchers possess. Forexample, pitcher Jones may throw a fastball, curve, slider and changeup,while pitcher Smith may throw a fastball, knuckleball, splitter andchangeup. The audio files stored in the receiver 30 worn by pitcherJones will have the audio file corresponding to the second pitchselection signal sent by a transmitter 20 be recorded to say curveball,for example, when the second button 22 on the transmitter 20 isdepressed by the catcher 10. However, when the same second button 22 isdepressed when pitcher Smith is on the mound, the audio filecorresponding to the second pitch selection signal will have the audiofile recorded to say knuckleball. Hence, the same transmitter 20 can beused to send the same encoded signals. These encoded signals merelyindicate which audio file in a receiver 30 will be played. Versatilityis provided by the different audio recordings in the same audio slotsfrom receiver 30 to receiver 30. Making audio recordings is readilyaccomplished through a computer (not shown) or other means to createaudio files that are stored in the receiver 30 in audio slots thatcorrespond to the different received pitch type signals from thetransmitter 20. The receiver 30 can be connected to the computer andrecorded audio files in a folder can simply be dragged into a file orfolder of the receiver 30.

In addition to pitch types, the audio files 80 a-80 v can include othertypes of relevant information that can be played by a receiver 30. Forexample, as will be described later with respect to the transmitter 20,in addition to pitch type, the desired location of the pitch (“pitchlocation”) can be stored as an audio file 80 a-80 v and reproduced at areceiver 30. Also, if the catcher changes his mind after making aselection, the catcher may hit a cancel button (described in theembodiment of the transmitter 20 of FIG. 10 ) that plays the audio file80 a-80 v containing the word “cancel”. Other examples of audio files 80a-80 v are so-called “running game” signals that include pitchout, slidestep, half pitchout, etc. Such running game signals are typically calledfrom the dugout by a coach. In the present disclosure, a secondtransmitter 20 can be used to call the running game signals if thecatcher is calling pitches on the field. In other embodiments, such asthe embodiment of a transmitter depicted in FIG. 12 , the pitch types,the pitch locations, and the running game are all called on the bench.

An advantageous feature of the receiver 30 provided in certainembodiments is a repeat button 44 (FIG. 6 ) that will repeat the playingof the audio file 80-80 v, in the event that the pitcher, in the heat ofcompetition, desires a reminder of the pitch type that was called. Also,for player comfort, volume control is also provided at the receiver 30in certain embodiments.

In order for the catcher 10 not to have to memorize which audio filesfor each of the individual pitchers correspond to which buttons 22 onthe transmitter 20, an overlay (not shown) can be provided for eachpitcher, that labels each of the buttons 22 with the corresponding pitchtypes in each pitcher's repertoire, and hence, that pitcher's audiofiles stored in the pitcher's receiver 30.

FIGS. 8A and 8B depict another embodiment of a receiver 30 constructedin accordance with the present disclosure, in perspective isolated viewand in phantom view installed in a hat, respectively. The receiver 30 inFIG. 8A is seen to be shaped as a band 50 that is designed to act as asubstrate and extend from above one ear, around the back of the head, toabove the other ear, in an approximately semi-circular or semi-ovalshape similar to the shape of the rim of the back half of a baseballcap. In certain embodiments, the band 50 may be made of a skin-saferubber that will not irritate the skin of most people. The band 50 maybe sized and shaped to fit within the band of a baseball cap, as seen inFIG. 8B, and gently conform to the skull of the wearer to provide andcomfortable and secure fit. At the same time, the band 50 assures thatthe multiple bone conductors 32 are properly positioned on the wearer'sskull such that good conduction of the audio signal is provided to thewearer. Multiple bone conductors 32 can increase the volume of the audioperceived by the wearer.

The band 50 acts as a substrate to carry an electronics board 31 thatcarries at least some of the electronic components of the receiver 30,for example, the microcontroller 38, the receiving unit 40 and thememory 42. The band 50 is configured to extend around the back of andalong both lateral sides of a baseball style cap.

A longer antenna 41 may be used in this embodiment, as describedearlier. This antenna 41 can extend over most of the length of the band50 and may provide increased range of reception. Depending on a numberof factors, transmission range between the transmitter 20 and thereceiver 30 can be well over one hundred and fifty feet. Safetyconsiderations are also a factor in sports equipment, and in certainembodiments, a protective material is provided that further increasesthe safety of the cap for wearers. Although the receiver 30 shouldprovide some protection by dissipating some energy if a ball shouldstrike the band 50 during play, additional protective material 52 may beprovided to further soften the impact a player receives to the head. Forexample, a silicon rubber layer 52 can be provided on the interiorsurface 53 and/or the exterior surface 55 of the band 50. Cut-outs (notshown) can be provided in the layer 52 to allow the bone conductors 32to contact the head directly.

FIG. 9A is a side perspective view of a receiver 100 constructed inaccordance with other embodiments of the present invention. It containssimilar internal components as the receiver 30 of FIG. 6 . However,there are certain differences in this embodiment, as will be appreciatedby reference to FIG. 9B, which depicts a block diagram of the receiver100. Referring now to both FIGS. 9A and 9B, the receiver 100 has anon/volume up button 102 and an off/volume down button 104. Wheninstalled in the sweatband of a hat, with receiver 100 oriented so thatthe buttons 102 and 104 are uppermost, the receiver 100 can be turned onand off easily through the fabric of the hat by depressing the buttons102 and 104. Further, the volume can be incremented and decremented insteps by using these same two buttons 102 and 104, which control thevolume after the receiver 100 has been turned on by depressing button102. Turning off the receiver 100 requires holding down the button 104for a longer period of time than one would use to lower the volume. Thereceiver 100 also has an input port 106, such as a micro USB port, thatallows the receiver 100 to be charged, programmed and to store audiotracks provided through the input port 106.

Referring now to FIG. 9B, the receiver 100 has a rechargeable battery120 coupled to a microcontroller 122 and a radio unit 124. In certainembodiments, the microcontroller 122 and radio unit 124 are integratedinto a single unit. It is noted here that the radio unit 124, thewireless transmitter unit of FIG. 5 and the receiving unit 40 of FIG. 6can in practice be transceivers. Each such transceiver can functionsolely as a receiver or transmitter. Port 106 such as a micro-USB port,is coupled to the battery 120 and the microcontroller 122, through whichpower and programming can be provided. The memory 128 can carry programinstructions, but also stores the audio files 80 a-80 v. An LED 130 maybe provided that shows the unit is turned on, is low on battery, amongother LED functions, as is well-known. A more detailed alphanumericdisplay 132 is provided in certain embodiments but is not required. Thereceiver 100 has an audio amplifier 133 coupled to the output of themicrocontroller 122. The output of the audio amplifier 133 is coupled tothe speaker 134, which can be similar in construction to a smartphonespeaker as an example. Such a speaker 134 is relatively thin andprovides excellent sound quality and is another example of an audioreproduction transducer.

The receiver 100, in certain embodiments, may be configured toautomatically adjust the volume heard by the wearer of the receiver independence on the ambient noise. This is especially useful when playingin stadiums with wide variations in noise intensity. After a player hasset his or her preferred volume through buttons 102 and 104, amicrophone 129 receives sound input from the surroundings. The output ofthe microphone 129 is provided to an ambient noise level determinationcircuit 131 that is coupled to the microcontroller 122. Such ambientnoise level determination circuits 131 are well-known, used in devicessuch as noise reduction headphones, noise meters, etc. The ambient noiselevel detection circuit 131 provides a signal to the microcontroller 122that indicates the ambient noise level. In response to this signalindicating the ambient noise level, the microcontroller 122 adjusts thevolume output by the speaker 134 from the preferred volume previouslyset by the player. This keeps the apparent volume level for the playerat a constant level in the face of changing ambient noise conditions.

As seen in FIG. 9A, the receiver 100 is generally elongate in shape, andis thin enough to fit comfortably within a baseball cap sweatband. Thecomponents of the receiver 100 are housed within a housing 140 that ismade of a material resistant to moisture and corrosion and is preferablyskin-safe. Silicone rubber is a suitable material, for example. Toprovide exceptional comfort, in certain embodiments the receiver 100 issegmented, with flex lines 142 dividing the receiver 100 into threesections 144 a-c. The segmentation allows sections 144 a and 144 c toflex relative to section 144 b, and thereby conform better to the shapeof a human head. As an example, section 144 a can contain the speaker134, with the opening of the speaker 134 on the underside of thereceiver housing 140. The circuit board on which the microcontroller 122and radio unit 124 (along with LED 130) are mounted may be containedwithin section 144 b, and the battery 120 within section 144 c. A wireantenna 146 may be attached through the housing 140 to the radio unit124.

A transmitter 150 constructed in accordance with certain embodiments ofthe present disclosure is depicted in front perspective view in FIG. 10. The transmitter 150 of FIG. 10 has a similar internal construction asto that shown in FIG. 5 . There are eight buttons 152 a-h on thetransmitter 150, although more or less buttons can be provided in otherembodiments. The buttons 152 a-g correspond to pitch type and pitchlocation buttons, while button 152 h is a cancel button. Since it isdesirable to shield the transmitter 150 from view while pushing thebuttons 152 a-g, it is advantageous to have the buttons 152 a-g arrangedin an intuitive pattern so that a catcher can select the desired button(and hence, the desired pitch type and pitch location) just by feel. Thepattern of the buttons 152 a-g is a “horizontal H”, with an upper row ofthree buttons (152 a-c), a middle button (152 d), and a lower row ofbuttons (152 e-g). The space between the two rows allows a catcher toreadily feel which row of buttons his thumb is on.

Each button 152 a-g represents both a pitch type and a pitch location.Discussing the pitch types first, consider buttons 152 a-g torespectively correspond to pitch numbers one through seven. Thesepitches can be, for example, fastball, curveball, slider, changeup,knuckleball, splitter, forkball. The pitch locations correspond tophysical locations, which can be compared to a strike zone shown in FIG.11 . Hence, button 152 a corresponds to pitch location “high inside”,button 152 b to “high middle”, 152 c to “high outside”, 152 d to “middlemiddle”, 152 e to “low inside”, 152 f to “low middle” and 152 g to “lowoutside”.

In certain embodiments, there must be two pushes of the buttons 152 a-gon the transmitter 150 before a coded signal is sent out to thereceivers 100. As an operational example, assume that the catcher wantsto call a fastball, high and outside. To do so, the catcher pressesbutton 152 a, corresponding to a fastball, and then presses button 152c, corresponding to high outside. Once there are two button pushes, thetransmitter 150 sends a coded signal corresponding to the identifiersfor the appropriate audio tracks contained in the receivers 100. Notethat audio is not transmitted by the transmitter 150. The receivers 100receive this coded signal and decode the signal. The decoded signalcommands the receivers 100 to play specific stored audio tracks 80 a and80 j in succession. Hence, the first button push, in certainembodiments, is the pitch type, and the second button push is the pitchlocation. By using the same set of buttons to input two different typesof information (pitch type and pitch location), the transmitter 150 canbe made much smaller, more elegant and easier to use for a catcher.

The transmitter has a cancel button 152 h in the embodiment of FIG. 10 .If the catcher, for example, pushes button 152 a (fastball) by mistakebut meant to push button 152 b (curveball), he can press button 152 h,which sends out a coded signal immediately (no second button pushneeded) to each of the receivers 100. Upon receiving the coded signal,the receivers 100 play audio track 80 o, which is the word “cancel”. Thetransmitter 150 resets after the cancel button 152 h is pushed, suchthat the next button 152 a-g that is pressed will select a pitch typeagain, and a second push of a button 152 a-g will select a pitchlocation. A raised ridge 154 surrounds the cancel button 152 h incertain embodiments so that this button can easily be discerned by feeland not unintentionally pushed.

The same or a similar transmitter 150 can also be used to call runninggame signals, such as pickoff, pitchout, hold and pick, etc. As suchsignals are typically called by a coach in the dugout, a separatetransmitter 150 may be used from the one used for calling pitch type andpitch location. Instead of two button pushes being required to send acoded signal, however, only one button push is required. As anoperational example, assume the coach wants to call a pickoff to firstbase. He will press button 152 a, which for the running game transmitter150, corresponds to “pickoff to first base”. The running gametransmitter 150 sends out a coded signal to the receivers 100, whichcoded signal causes the receivers to play the stored audio track 80 p,which says “pickoff to first base”. As with all of the receivers 100,the stored audio tracks 80 a-80 v can be in the native language of thewearer.

Another embodiment of a transmitter 160 is depicted in FIG. 12 . Thisembodiment of a transmitter 160 is larger in size than the transmitter150, which may be about the size of a typical business card to be easilyworn on the catcher's wrist. The transmitter 160 is meant for use in adugout, for example by a coach. Since it does not have to be worn on thewrist, additional functionality can be provided, and the extra size canbe employed advantageously. For example, using a similar internalarchitecture of the transmitter 20 of FIG. 5 , or of transmitter 150 ofFIG. 9 , the transmitter 160 can have separate sections for thedifferent functions. Such sections can include, as shown in FIG. 12 ,but are not limited to, a pitch type section 162, a pitch locationsection 164, and a running game section 166. A control section 168 mayalso be included in certain embodiments, which can be used to controlthe receivers 100 on the field. A display 169 is provided in certainembodiments to allow the coach to see information, such as controlinformation, pitch type called, pitch location called, running gamesignal called. Control information can include, for example, the batterylevel of each of the individual receivers 100, and whether an individualreceiver is powered on. The volume of the individual receivers 100 canbe controlled from the transmitter 160. The control information caninclude whether an individual receiver did not receive a coded signal.Other control information can be provided. The transmitter 160 can be inthe form of a laptop, a tablet, a controller with display and hardwarepushbuttons.

In certain embodiments, a transmitter 160 may be integrated withsoftware that identifies the best pitch type and pitch location in anygame situation. There are already reams of available statistics that arecollected on players, including their tendencies, weaknesses andstrengths. If a specific right-handed batter, with a runner on secondbase and one out, against this specific pitcher, tends to hit the balltoward second base with fastball that is low and outside, and that isthe desired outcome, the software can identify this tendency and suggestthat the coach call a fastball that is low and outside. Further, it isrelatively easy to automate the pitch selection and pitch locationprocess based on this information, with the coach merely having toupdate the game situation with the pitch count (how many balls andstrikes), and the number of and locations of runners. So that it is notentirely predictable, an element of randomness can be used to surprisethe batter with something he is not used to seeing in that gamesituation. For example, although the game situation may call for afastball that is low and outside, introducing a percentage of randomnesscan cause the transmitter 160 to select a curveball down the middle.

FIG. 13 is a schematic depiction of an implementation of a star networkconfiguration of a transmitter and a plurality of transmitters inaccordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure. Atransmitter 20, 150, or 160, is connected to each of the receivers 100in the star network configuration. The receivers 100 and transmitter(160, for example) can employ a round trip technology to assure thatmessages are received by each receiver. After a receiver 100 receives acoded signal from the transmitter 160, the receiver 100 will send asignal back to the transmitter 160 to indicate that it has received thecoded signal. If the transmitter 160 has not received a signal back fromthe receiver 100 within a certain amount of time (on the order ofmilliseconds), the transmitter 100 may send the coded signal again tothat receiver 100. By using a star network configuration and round-triptechnology, the transmitter 160 can assure that the receivers 100 willhave received the coded signal from the transmitter 160.

FIG. 14 is a side perspective view of a receiver 170 in accordance withcertain embodiments of the present disclosure. The receiver 170 has thesame internal components as the receiver 100. The speaker or boneconduction component is located in area 172. The receiver 170 has anadvertising area 174 on its outside surface. Unlike the receivers 30 and100, which are located within a sweatband during use, the receiver 170is designed to be worn outside of a hat, as shown in FIG. 15 . Thisembodiment of the receiver 170 allows a team to use the advertising area174 to sell advertising space on the receiver 170. As television camerasoften focus on the sides of player faces, this would mean that suchadvertising area 174 would be seen quite often on television, and a teamcan use this area 174 as a source of revenue. Further, this embodimentof the receiver 170 positions the speaker or bone conduction componentdirectly in front of the ear of the player, which can improve thelistening experience for certain players.

FIG. 16 is a side view of the receiver 100 of FIG. 9 inserted into afootball helmet 180. It is relatively easy to secure the receiver 100between or inside the pads of the football helmet 180. Because it is solightweight, the addition of the receiver 100 to the football helmet 180will be unnoticed by a player wearing the helmet 180.

Although football currently uses an audio radio transmission to provideplays to the quarterback (and from the other team, to one defensiveplayer), the use of embodiments of the presently disclosed system hassome advantages to the current system. For example, providinglightweight receivers 100 reduces fatigue in players, enhancing comfortand safety. Further, every player on the team on the field will be ableto simultaneously hear the play when it is called. This would eliminatethe need for a huddle. Another advantage could be realized if aquarterback wore a transmitter similar to transmitter 150. Instead ofcalling out an audible (a changed play from that called in the huddle)at the line of scrimmage, usually limited to a single choice of play,and also alerting the defense that an audible has been called, thequarterback can use the transmitter 150. This allows the quarterback tosend a coded signal silently and covertly to each of the other playerson offense that causes their receivers 100 to play an audible. Thedefense will not be aware that an audible has been called. Further, thequarterback can select the audible from multiple choices. Anotherpotential advantage when used in football is the possibility of speedingup play. Since huddles are not required as each player is provided witha receiver 100, the pace of the game can be increased.

FIG. 17 is a side view of a jockey's helmet 184 showing a receiver 100(in phantom) mounted within. During a race, a jockey could be receivinginstructions through the receiver 100 that helps or her with strategyduring a race.

The system according to embodiments of the present disclosure allowsplayers to communicate with each other with audible instructions, unlikeprevious systems in which a coach would have to vocalize instructionsthat are heard in radio receivers by the players in the area ofcompetition. Hence, players on the field of competition are able tocommunicate without vocalization. This has the advantage of lettingplayers, who are often the best positioned to provide in-gameinstructions to other players, provide those instructions where it wouldotherwise be impossible to do so by vocalization since the opposing teamwould hear that vocalization.

FIG. 18 depicts a swimmer wearing a swim cap 188 with a receiver 100 (inphantom) underneath the swim cap 188. Because the swim cap 188 is meantto be worn underwater, the use of a bone conductor rather than a speakeris preferred in certain embodiments. The swimmer can hear instructionssuch as kick harder, slow pace, increase pace, etc.

FIG. 19A depicts another embodiment of the receiver 100. In thisembodiment, an audio tube 190 is provided from which the speaker soundemanates. Such audio tubes are well-known and used by securitypersonnel, on-air commentators, etc. The sound is directed straight intothe ear canal, much like ear buds. However, an audio tube is not wornseparately and supported within the ear, like an ear bud, and istherefore practically unnoticeable to the user. They are light-weight,and generally pliable, increasing comfort. By delivering sound directlyinto the ear canal, or at least closer to it, the embodiment of FIG. 19Acan be employed in the loudest of stadiums, and also be used in quieterenvironments since the sound is not directed outwardly.

FIG. 19B shows the receiver 100 of FIG. 19A installed in the sweatband37 of a cap 35 worn by a player. The audio tube 190 is shown extendingfrom the speaker 134 into the ear lobe of the player.

The communication system described in the present disclosure thusprovides secure and covert communication of instructions to an athlete,without using visual signaling that can be intercepted through video,binoculars and other methods and then decoded. Further, rather thansending audio signals, or digitized audio to the headset receivers,embodiments of the present disclosure only transmit short, coded signals(such as a number). The headset receivers already have the audio tracksstored within. Security of the transmission is thereby enhanced due tothe short, bursty nature of the transmission. This also makes it easierfor the headset receivers to decode the signal, rather than a completevoice audio transmission. The headset receivers can also be madelighter, and increased battery life.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as“exemplary” or as an “example” is not necessarily to be construed aspreferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Furthermore, to theextent that the term “include,” “have,” or the like is used in thedescription or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in amanner similar to the term “comprise” as “comprise” is interpreted whenemployed as a transitional word in a claim.

All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the variousaspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or latercome to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expresslyincorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed bythe claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to bededicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure usexplicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construedunder the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112, sixth paragraph, unless theelement is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in thecase of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “stepfor”.

The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in theart to practice the various aspects described herein. Variousmodifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art, and the generic principled defined herein may be applied toother aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to theaspects shown herein but are accorded the full scope consistent with thelanguage of the claims, wherein reference to an element in the singularis not intended to mean “one and only one: unless specifically sostated, but rather “one or more.” Unless specifically stated otherwise,the term “some” refers to one or more. Pronouns in the masculine (e.g.,his) include the feminine and neuter gender (e.g., her and its) and viceversa. Headings and subheadings, if any are used for convenience onlyand do not limit the subject disclosure.

While various embodiments have been described, the description isintended to be exemplary, rather than limiting, and it is understoodthat many more embodiments and implementations are possible that arewithin the scope of the embodiments. Although many possible combinationsof features are shown in the accompanying figures and discussed in thisdetailed description, many other combinations of the disclosed featuresare possible. Any feature of any embodiment may be used in combinationwith or substituted for any other feature or element in any otherembodiment unless specifically restricted. Therefore, it will beunderstood that any of the features shown and/or discussed in thepresent disclosure may be implemented together in any suitablecombination. Accordingly, the embodiments are not to be restrictedexcept in light of the attached claims and their equivalents. Also,various modifications and changes may be made within the scope of theattached claims.

While the foregoing has described what are considered to be the bestmode and/or other examples, it is understood that various modificationsmay be made therein and that the subject matter disclosed herein may beimplemented in various forms and examples, and that the teachings may beapplied in numerous applications, only some of which have been describedherein. It is intended by the following claims to claim any and allapplications, modifications and variations that fall within the truescope of the present teachings.

Unless otherwise stated, all measurements, values, ratings, positions,magnitudes, sizes, and other specifications that are set forth in thisspecification, including in the claims that follow, are approximate, notexact. They are intended to have a reasonable range that is consistentwith the functions to which they relate and with what is customary inthe art to which they pertain.

The scope of protection is limited solely by the claims that now follow.That scope is intended and should be interpreted to be as broad as isconsistent with the ordinary meaning of the language that is used in theclaims when interpreted in light of this specification and theprosecution history that follows and to encompass all structural andfunctional equivalents. Notwithstanding, none of the claims are intendedto embrace subject matter that fails to satisfy the requirement ofSections 101, 102, or 103 of the Patent Act, nor should they beinterpreted in such a way. Any unintended embracement of such subjectmatter is hereby disclaimed.

Except as stated immediately above, nothing that has been stated orillustrated is intended or should be interpreted to cause a dedicationof any component, step, feature, object, benefit, advantage, orequivalent to the public, regardless of whether it is or is not recitedin the claims.

It will be understood that the terms and expressions used herein havethe ordinary meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions withrespect to their corresponding respective areas of inquiry and studyexcept where specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.Relational terms such as first and second and the like may be usedsolely to distinguish one entity or action from another withoutnecessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or orderbetween such entities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,”or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusiveinclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus thatcomprises a list of elements does not include only those elements butmay include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to suchprocess, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by “a” or“an” does not, without further constraints, preclude the existence ofadditional identical elements in the process, method, article, orapparatus that comprises the element.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader toquickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It issubmitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpretor limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in theforegoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features aregrouped together in various examples for the purpose of streamlining thedisclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claims require more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of asingle disclosed example. Thus, the following claims are herebyincorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing onits own as a separately claimed subject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for remotely communicating audioinstructions, comprising: a transmitter including: a transmitter unitconfigured to transmit wireless signals, and a first microcontrollercoupled to the transmitter unit, the first microcontroller configured toprovide the transmitter unit with a selection signal to wirelesslytransmit; and a receiver including: a receiving unit configured towirelessly receive the selection signal; a memory configured to containa plurality of stored audio instructions; an audio reproductiontransducer configured to audibly reproduce the plurality of stored audioinstructions; and a second microcontroller coupled to the receivingunit, the memory and the audio reproduction transducer, wherein thesecond microcontroller is configured to control the memory and the audioreproduction transducer to reproduce a selected audio instruction inaccordance with the received selection signal.
 2. The system of claim 1,wherein the plurality of stored audio instructions includes at least oneof a pitch type, pitch location, and running game instruction.
 3. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the plurality of stored audio instructionsincludes instructions for a sports participant.
 4. The system of claim1, wherein the audio reproduction transducer is a speaker.
 5. The systemof claim 1, wherein the first microcontroller of the transmitter isconfigured to encode the selection signal to indicate the selected audioinstruction, and the second microcontroller of the receiver isconfigured to decode the selection signal to determine the selectedaudio instruction.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the memory has aplurality of addressable storage locations in which each audioinstruction of the plurality of stored audio instructions arerespectively stored as audio tracks.
 7. The system of claim 6, whereindifferent sets of the audio tracks are stored in multiple respectivefolders, and wherein the second microcontroller is configurable toretrieve audio tracks only from a selected one of the respective foldersand control the memory and audio reproduction transducer to reproducethose audio tracks from the selected folder in response to the selectedaudio instruction.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein each set of thedifferent sets of the plurality of audio tracks stored in multiplerespective folders comprise a corresponding set of audio instructions ina different language, and wherein the second microcontroller isconfigurable to select a respective audio track from a respective set ofthe different sets of audio tracks based on a current languageconfiguration of the receiver.
 9. The system of claim 8, furthercomprising a plurality of receivers, the plurality of receivers beingseparately configurable such that a first receiver of the plurality ofreceivers is configured to retrieve audio tracks in a first languagefrom a first folder, and a second receiver of the plurality of receiversis configured to retrieve audio tracks in a second language from asecond folder, wherein following receipt of a same selection signal atthe first receiver and the second receiver, the first receiver isconfigured to play the first audio track in the first language and thesecond receiver is configured to play the first audio track in thesecond language.
 10. The system of claim 6, further comprising aplurality of receivers, the plurality of receivers including a firstreceiver and a second receiver, the first receiver comprising aplurality of audio tracks in a first language and the second receivercomprising a plurality of audio tracks in a second language, whereineach audio track in the first language corresponds to a respective audiotrack in the second language having a same meaning, wherein each audiotrack in the first language is stored in a same correspondingaddressable storage location in a memory of the first receiver as eachrespective audio track in the second language in a memory of the secondreceiver, and wherein the first receiver and second receiver areconfigured to respond to the same selection signal by retrievingcorresponding audio tracks from the same corresponding storage locationin the respective memory of the respective receiver.
 11. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the transmitter comprises a plurality of useractuatable input elements through which a user selects an audioinstruction to be heard at the receiver.
 12. The system of claim 11,wherein the user actuatable input elements are buttons.
 13. The systemof claim 12, wherein the transmitter is further configured to provide aplurality of selectable operating modes, the plurality of selectableoperating modes including a first mode in which a first actuation of anyof the buttons selects one audio instruction and a second actuation ofany of the buttons selects a second audio instruction, the secondmicrocontroller providing the transmitter unit with a selection signalonly after the second actuation of any of the buttons, the selectionsignal causing the receiver to play the first and second audioinstructions serially.
 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the pluralityof selectable operating modes includes a second mode in which actuationof any of the buttons selects an audio instruction, the microcontrollerproviding the transmitter unit with a selection signal immediately afterany of the buttons have been actuated, the selection signal causing thereceiver to play the selected audio instruction.
 15. The system of claim11, wherein at least some of the buttons are arranged on the transmitterin accordance with positions corresponding to positions of a strikezone, with pitch location instructions corresponding to the positions ofthe button.
 16. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter furthercomprises volume control buttons, and wherein the first microcontrollercausing the transmitter unit to send volume control signals to at leastone receiver to control a listening volume at the receiver.
 17. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the receiver further comprises: an ambientnoise level determination circuit coupled to the second microcontroller;and a microphone coupled the ambient noise level determination circuit,wherein the second microcontroller is configured to automatically adjusta volume of audio output of a speaker of the receiver in accordance withan ambient noise level determined by the ambient noise leveldetermination circuit.
 18. The system of claim 1, wherein thetransmitter further comprises: a decision unit coupled to the secondmicrocontroller, the decision unit configured to provide a decisionsignal to the second microcontroller, wherein the second microcontrolleris configured to provide the transmitter unit with a selection signalbased upon the decision signal.
 19. A baseball pitch selectioncommunication system, comprising: a pitch selection transmitter unitincluding: buttons for selecting pitch types to be heard at a remotereceiver, a first microcontroller coupled to the buttons to receive apitch type selection signal from the buttons and to generate a codedsignal in accordance with the pitch type selection signal, and atransmitter coupled to the first microcontroller to receive the codedsignal and transmit a coded wireless signal; and a wireless receiverincluding: a receiving unit configured to receive the coded wirelesssignal, a second microcontroller coupled to the receiving unit to decodethe coded wireless signal and to determine an audio track containingaudio of a pitch type in accordance with the pitch type selectionsignal, a memory coupled to the second microcontroller and containingaddressable storage locations in which audio tracks are stored, and aspeaker coupled to the second microcontroller, wherein the secondmicrocontroller retrieves the audio track at an addressable storagelocation in the memory is stored and causes the speaker to play theaudio track.